Dimitri's Prequel
by 00Mrs.Castile00
Summary: How did Dimitri end up at the Academy? What did he struggle with while searching for his charge and her companion? What was Dimitri's life like before Rose Hathaway was pulled into it kicking and screaming? (mainly kicking). This prequel begins a year before Dimitri meets Rose and then works its way there. Rated T for a little violence and feelings of anxiety.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hello dearies!**

 **I'm super excited to share my first story that isn't a one-shot with you lovely people! Here it is! Just a heads up: it will all be in Dimitri's POV and it will not be a very long story. Ten chapters at most (i know, sad), but hopefully I'll be able to start posting another much longer story soon. (Fingers crossed)**

 **Again, I want to thank you all sooooo much for your support and kind words! They make me want to write all of the time so I can post everything super fast, but alas...life.**

 **PS. I just wanted to comment on my last one-shot, Gosh Dang It, Sonya. I was brought to my attention that I might have offended some people with that title and I just want to say that that was not my intention. I don't swear IRL (just a personal preference) and I wasn't trying to imply anything obscene by using that title. I do, however, use euphemisms (for example: "gosh dang it") in practically all of my writings, so if that offends you then I'm sorry, but I will not be changing that. I'm not trying to be mean, and I do appreciate the comment. I will be more careful with title choices in the future, but I don't find "Gosh Dang It, Sonya" to be inappropriate.**

 **Whew! Okay! Here is the first chapter to Dimitri's Prequel:)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy or its characters. Everything belongs to Richelle Mead.**

* * *

"Dimitri. Dimitri!"

"Hmm?"

"Dimitri, wake up! The guardians are here to see you."

That got my attention. My eyes opened, my mind became alert, and I sat up simultaneously. Quickly I scanned my room for any immediate threats. I did this out of habit. I knew that 99.9% of the time nothing threatening would be there, but it was that .1% chance that made me do it. Nothing wrong with being prepared.

My teenage sister, Viktoria, stood in front of me with her hands on her hips, smiling. She always found it entertaining when I snapped to attention. I think she liked to judge my reaction time. I took a second to evaluate her for any signs of injury or anxiousness. (The guardians were the good guys, but you could never be too careful.) Her easy posture and calm eyes told me that she was okay. As she rolled her eyes at my assessment, I relaxed – a little.

"Why are the guardians here?" I asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know, but you'd better hurry up and get dressed. Mama is going to have a heart attack if you make her guests wait to eat a minute longer."

"Eat?"

"Yes, Sunshine. Having breakfast tends to entail eating."

I shot her a dry look, letting her know that I wasn't amused with her sarcasm. In return she gave me a warm and sympathetic smile. While she tried to hide it, I could still see the concern beginning to replete her face. She was one of the few, "the few" being the rest of my immediate family, who knew what I'd been going through this past week. And even they didn't really understand. I could tell that she was worried about what the guardians showing up would do to my emotional state.

"Don't look at me like that," I grumbled.

"Like what?"

"Like I'm broken or something."

"Easy, Dimka," she said gently. "I know you're not broken, but I do know you're in pain."

"I'm fine," I replied gruffly. She didn't believe it for a second.

"Don't do that," she chastised.

"Do what?"

"That thing you do when you're hurting but don't want anyone to know. You put up emotional barriers and don't let anyone in."

As much as any big brother hated to admit it, I knew Viktoria was right. I did put up walls to protect myself, and recent events had only reinforced them. People in the guardian profession couldn't afford to be emotional. In my world weakness lead to death, and emotion lead to heartbreak. I'd learned that the hard way.

I looked up at my sister. She had her long hair tied into a high ponytail. It was the same color as mine: a soft brown. Her dark eyes, also like mine, were studying me. Waiting to see if my expression would give something away. I wouldn't give her the satisfaction so I put on a reassuring smile and told her I'd be downstairs in two minutes.

Once she left, I got out of bed and changed into my guardian attire that hadn't been touched in a week: black slacks, white button up shirt, and a black jacket. Standard for all guardians. I quickly finished getting ready by brushing my teeth and tying my shoulder length hair into a low ponytail just above my neck. By doing this I exposed five _molnija_ marks. One for each Strigoi kill I'd made. Thinking about them made me frown. I absolutely believed killing Strigoi was the right thing to do, but it was still technically taking a life and sometimes I found that hard to come to terms with.

Brushing all thoughts about Strigoi aside, I left my room and headed down the stairs. The polished wooden railing was smooth to the touch as my hand slid down it in perfect unison with my decent. A distant childhood memory flashed through my mind.

* * *

 _It was the beginning of summer break after my 6_ _th_ _grade year. That was the year that our combat training had been taken up a notch, and I had absorbed all of the advanced new moves hungrily, always wanting more. When summer came, I was disappointed that my training would be put on hold for two whole months. So I decided to train myself. I spent the whole summer racing through obstacles that I had set up around the house,_ _and on occasion my sisters, who had all received their fair share of training_ _(except Viktoria)_ _,_ _would act as the Strigoi. I ran through all of the different courses at least twice a day, but my favorite obstacle was riding the railing down the stairs. I suppose it was less of a challenge or obstacle and more of a fun twist._

 _One day, while I was running through the routine courses, I decided to put cooking oil on the railing so that I would slide faster. My efforts would allow me to beat my fastest time, therefore, making me a better guardian. At least that's how I saw it._

 _I lined myself up at the start, then I hit the stopwatch and took off. I flew through the first part of the course; defeating evil pillows and cushions, maneuvering through mazes made with blankets, and jumping over and on to beds and dressers. When I reached the railing, I threw on_ _e_ _leg over, straddling it, and then shoved off._ _I could feel myself going faster than I ever had before,_ _and I_ _couldn't wait to see my mama's face when she saw that I'd beaten my fastest time. My excitement was short lived, however, when I reached the end of the railing because rather than coming to a nice stop, I flew through the air about 8 to 10 feet. When I came back down to the ground, I landed directly on my right arm. Mama had been very concerned at first, but she quickly deduced the events that had lead to my accident so her concern turned into rage._

 _My mother, Olena, ha_ _d_ _never been a professional doctor, but she kn_ _ew_ _a lot and had many skills in the medical field. Many local dhampir even c_ _a_ _me to her with injuries rather than going to a hospital._ _So s_ _he was_ _easily_ _able to determine that my arm was broken, and then proceeded to set it, wrap it, and cradle it in a sling._ To this day I hate the sight of slings.

 _It had been near the end of summer when this happened and so when we returned to school I was forced to sit out of combat training for two months; the exact amount of time_ _I would've had to stop training if I'd just enjoyed my summer like any other novice. That's karma for you._

* * *

Thinking about that memory made me smile, but I put on a straight face as I neared the bottom of the stairs, wanting to look professional. The smile quickly returned _,_ though, when I saw who was waiting for me. Volya Orlov, my favorite former instructor from school, sat at my dinning table with two other guardians I'd never seen before. His reaction to seeing me mirrored my own. A full smile parted his graying beard that he kept at a reasonably short length. His hair was a little thinner and his wrinkles a little deeper since I'd last seen him five years ago. Training novices was hard work. God knows how crude, disrespectful, and wild teenagers can be. I could imagine the amount of patience and control it would take to be an instructor, and I was thankful for not having that fate.

"There's my star student," Volya exclaimed as I entered the room. He had a booming voice that was thick with a Russian accent.

"Guardian Orlov," I chuckled. "It's been too long." He stood up and shook my hand then we both sat down.

"Indeed, it has," he agreed. "Guardian Belikov, I'd like you to meet Guardian Petrov and Guardian Alto."

My attention was drawn to the two stoic dhampirs who had remained silent throughout the reunion. Guardian Alto was an American man in his mid-thirties. He tightened his lips and gave me a nod. When he didn't offer me his hand I simply nodded back. I secretly wondered if he was just uncomfortable being in a dhampir community, or as they liked to call them "blood whore communes."

Turning to Guardian Petrov, I was pleased to see that she was a woman. Although my grandmother believed that dhampir women should stay home and raise children while the men protect the Moroi, I respected and encouraged the idea of female guardians.

Guardian Petrov was African American and a more seasoned guardian like Volya, and unlike Guardian Alto, she gave me a warm smile and offered me her hand.

"It'd a pleasure to meet you Guardian Belikov," she said. "I've heard many good things about you."

"The pleasure is all mine," I returned, taking her hand.

At that moment my mother and older sister, Karolina, walked into the room, carrrying plates filled with syrniki and sausage.

"You all must be so hungry from your long trip," my mother fussed. "If this isn't enough food we always have more."

I mentally rolled my eyes. Olena Belikova could be seen cooking at all times of the day. I truly believed that her greatest fear was having someone go hungry in her home.

"That won't be necessary Ms. Belikova. Thank you for your hospitality," Guardian Petrov insisted.

Mama was about to protest, but I shot her a look that said _let it go._ She nodded in acknowledgment and then she and Karolina went back to the kitchen. We all started eating our breakfast, and Volya made an effort to learn how I'd been and what I'd been up to since leaving the Academy. I didn't particularly like talking about myself so I tried to leave out as much as possible. Though there were _a lot_ of stories to tell. My five years had been filled with a lifetimes worth of experiences, the five _molnija_ marks proved it, but I just didn't feel like telling them. Thankfully my old instructor had more than enough stories to share. But as much as I enjoyed listening to them, I was curious as to why he and the other guardians were here at all. Once Volya finished a story about catching two novices drinking on Academy grounds, I interceded before he could launch into another.

"I hope I'm not being disrespectful by asking, but what is real reason you're here? Surely you and two guardians from America didn't come just to catch up."

Guardian Alto looked relieved that someone had finally said something about their mission. He didn't seem like the type to have warm reunions or happy conversation. Guardian Petrov's expression remained neutral, but it was clear that she was just as welcoming to the subject change by how quickly she answered me.

"You're absolutely correct Guardian Belikov. Our reason for being here is much more important so I'm going to be blunt. After the deaths of your charge and your partner, you have become an available guardian."

I flinched when she said "deaths of your charge and your partner." Ivan was more than just a charge, and even Daniil was more than just a partner. They had only been dead a week, which under normal circumstances that wouldn't have been nearly enough time to mourn, but I was under guardian circumstances. So giving me a week was pretty generous.

"We happen to be in need of a guardian," she continued. "And so Volya suggested you."

"We?" I asked.

"The Academy."

My eyes widened slightly in shock. The Academy wanted me? "Wait. You want me to come work at St. Basils?"

St. Basils was the Academy where I had received all of my training and eventually graduated from, receiving my promise mark.

"No, we'd like you to come to America. To St. Vladimir's Academy."

* * *

 **AN: What did we think? Thumbs up or thumbs down for middle school Dimitri? Please let me know if you think Dimitri is OOC or any other comments you have by leaving a review.**

 **Also, I know this chapter was really short, but not all of the chapters will be like this, promise.**

 **Thank you so very much for reading! Don't forget to follow or favorite if you like was you read:) Have a beautiful day!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hello my dears**

 **Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy or its characters. Everything belongs to Richelle Mead.**

* * *

My earlier concerns about instructing novices came back to me. Taking on Strigoi was no easy task, but even that seemed more doable than teaching a bunch of caustic, inappropriate, and hormonal teenagers!

"I can't instruct students!"

"Why not?"

"I'm not qualified."

"Your very impressive record says otherwise."

"My record...is okay."

"That's an understatement," Volya chimed. "You graduated at the top of your class, and within the first five years of field work you've created many connections around the guardian community and have killed five Strigoi. That's more than most guardians twice your age can say."

"But I'm not trained to teach students."

"No," Guardian Petrov admitted. "But you are trained to fight. You are an expert in that field and that's exactly what you'd be teaching them to do. That is, if you are to instruct them at all. Your responsibilities won't include teaching a class, just monitoring the classes and the grounds. You may be asked to sub from time to time."

 _They wanted me to be a sub?!_

"Besides," said Guardian Alto, speaking for the first time since I'd met him. "Your position at the Academy would only be temporary."

"Temporary?" Now I was confused. What was going on? Were the guardians mad that I lost Iv- my charge and this was their way of punishing me? A "serve your time" kind of thing? "Why temporary?"

"Because your new charge hasn't graduated yet, and when she does you will be leaving the Academy with her."

I almost sighed in relief. They were giving me a charge. I wouldn't be a sub the rest of my life! But then I realized something that confused me even more.

"But students don't receive guardians."

"They do when they are the last Moroi in their royal line," Alto exhaled impatiently.

The Dragomir Princess then. Wow, this was truly an honor. The Dragomirs had been very few in number and then a year or so ago a car accident had finished the rest of them off except one. I tried to think of the Princess' name, but then, as if reading my mind, Guardian Petrov voiced the answer for me.

"Her name is Vasilisa Dragomir. She is the last of the Dragomirs, and so we want the very best guardians for her. We have handpicked you for the extremely paramount and esteemed task of being one of her guardians. And just so we are clear, this isn't an option or a request. It is an order."

I suddenly felt stupid for questioning this so much. I couldn't pick and choose my assignments or charges. The guardians did that for me. My job was to protect Moroi. My opinions didn't matter.

"I understand," I said. "How soon can I meet her?"

"That's another problem. You can't meet her. Not yet. We don't know where she is."

 _What!?_ Well this was very unlike the guardians. "Why? What happened to her?"

I may have just received this assignment a minute ago, but she was still technically _my_ charge now, and so I felt responsible for her safety. Not only that, but also the fact that she is the last of the Dragomirs and a minor. If something were to happen to her it would be a big loss for the whole Moroi and dhampir world.

"A novice took Vasilisa and escaped from the Academy about a year ago." Petrov explained.

"A kidnapping?"

"Unlikely. The novice was the Princess' best friend. I've never seen two people so close. She was always very protective of Vasilisa."

"Don't try and defend her," Alto sneered with clear disgust. "She doesn't deserve it. What few good qualities she has are all outweighed by the bad. And no "protective nature" argument can justify taking the last Dragomir."

"I wasn't trying to defend her or justify her actions," Petrov replied calmly. "I was simply stating the facts. She wouldn't have taken Vasilisa, exposing her to all sorts of danger, without a reason."

Back and forth they went for a while. Guardian Alto showed some obvious disdain for the novice, and Guardian Petrov, though she didn't agree with the decision to escape, seemed to be fond of her. But who this girl? They hadn't said her name once, and so I decided to ask.

"I don't mean to interrupt," - That was a lie. I actually _had_ meant to discontinue their argument because while Petrov was a perfect picture of patience and composure, Alto was about to start foaming at the mouth. - "but what is the girl's name?"

They both looked at me. The question brought them to a standstill. Then, after a dramatic pause worthy enough to be in a movie, they both said her name in unison.

"Rose Hathaway."

"Hathaway," I pondered aloud. "Where have I heard that name before?"

"Well, Rose is the daughter of Janine Hathaway," Petrov suggested.

Of course. The famous Janine Hathaway. One of the most respected and talented guardians out there. Stories about her many Strigoi kills and techniques have circulated throughout the dhampir world. But I had no idea that she'd had a daughter. She seemed too dedicated to her guardian responsibilities to ever have the time for a child.

"But I also wouldn't be surprised if you heard about Rose from the accident that claimed Vasilisa's family. She was in the car when it happened, one of the two lucky survivors."

"Rose and the Dragomir family were close?" I asked.

"Very. Eric and Rhea, before they died, had requested that Miss Hathaway be Vasilisa's guardian when they both graduated."

Guardian Alto was apparently sick of hearing Rose's praises because he piped up with his own narration. "But now, once we find them, Rose will be lucky if she even gets to become a guardian let alone the Princess'."

"I take it you don't like her, Guardian Alto."

"I'll give you points for your observation skills. Before she left, I had the displeasure of having Miss Hathaway in my classroom. You see, she has a unique reputation and she always enjoyed living up to it by getting into fights and using her expressive, crude, and brazen commentary. So, to answer your question, no. I don't like Rose Hathaway. And my opinion was only amplified by the run away stunt."

"She can't be all that bad if the Dragomirs trusted her with their daughters life. I met them a few years ago, and they were very level headed people."

I didn't know why I was defending Rose. I didn't even know her. Maybe it was because of what Guardian Petrov had said about her protectiveness over Vasilisa. This Hathaway girl might be reckless and disrespectful (according to Guardian Alto), but when it came down to it, a guardian's responsibilities started and ended with protecting Moroi. It took most guardians a few years to fully understand our mantra: They come first. And to have a high school student have that mastered was truly incredible. Or maybe I was just defending her in order to contradict Alto. I was starting to develop a distaste for him.

"I wouldn't expect you to understand Guardian Belikov. You haven't met her, but when you do, don't say I didn't warn you. That girl is trouble. I pray for the unfortunate soul of the man she ends up with. Assuming she finds one willing to put up with her."

"Miss Hathaway's future love life is of no importance right now," interrupted Guardian Petrov. "The only thing that matters is finding her and the Princess, and returning them safely."

Guardian Alto looked slightly embarrassed that he'd gotten so off topic, and I was kind of embarrassed for him. This mission had absolutely nothing to do with Rose's future lover, whoever he may be. It was apparently unlike him to go off on tangents. Rose must really irritate him.

"So," Guardian Petrov said, turning to me. "How soon can we leave?"

Before long, I found myself on a private jet, flying to America. Flying to my new life. I was glad to finally have something to do other than think about Ivan and Daniil. Images of gore entered my mind. The metallic stench of blood and the decaying smell of death was still fresh in my memory.

I looked out the window and took a deep breath. That was how I calmed myself. For some reason looking at the sky, and infinite expanse that was much greater than myself, was helpful. It reminded me that somewhere in the world there was happiness, music, and life. All of it under the same beautiful sky that I resided. It gave me hope for the future.

Thinking about the future, _my_ future, refocused me. I was ready to move on to this new chapter in my life. I _had_ to be ready. I couldn't dwell. I wasn't over the deaths of my friend and my partner, definitely, but having a new charge, a mission, would help me recover. It would give me a purpose, something to do. I realized that I needed this distraction. If I'd stayed at home for another week I probably would've gone crazy. Drowning in a sea of my own guilt and inactivity. Keeping rebellious teens in line would hopefully be a good outlet until Vasilisa graduated and I was in the field again.

I suddenly thought about what Viktoria said to me as she was saying good-bye.

* * *

 _"Take care of yourself Dimka," she whispered into my shoulder. Her arms wrapped around my neck in_ _a_ _tight embrace. Because she was significantly shorter than me, I was holding her equally tight about a foot above the ground._

 _"You know me Vika," I said, setting her down. "I'm always careful."_

 _"I'm serious Dimitri." I could tell by her tone and facial expression that I hadn't answered correctly. "I don't just mean_ _for you_ _to take care of yourself physically, though, I want that too. I don't want you to get hurt or anything, but you also need to take care of yourself emotionally and mentally."_

 _Her concern for my mental state surprised me. "Do you think I'm going crazy?"_

 _"Of course not, but like I said this morning, I know that you're hurting_ _inside. So do me a favor. While you're in America, find someone. Anyone. Make a friend that you feel you can trust and talk to, then let them behind those walls. Maybe it will ease the pain."_

* * *

Back in the present, on the plane, it seemed unlikely that I would get close enough to anyone to actually open my self up to them. I was planning on devoting all of my extra time and attention to finding the runaways. No distractions.

After a few hours in the air, Guardian Petrov came and sat down in the seat facing me.

"What can I do for you Guardian Petrov?" I asked. "Other than help you find your missing students."

She smiled lightly. "Please don't feel obligated to use my guardian title when we are in a casual setting. Honestly, I'd prefer to be called Alberta, my first name, or just Petrov."

I was a little uncomfortable with this breech in etiquette. Not because I felt like I was being seduced or anything, but simply because I had been taught my whole life that using titles properly, for both dhampirs and Moroi, was respectful and correct. But since Alberta was now technically my boss, I thought it best not to contradict her wishes.

"Very well. Alberta, what can I do for you?"

"Nothing right now. I just wanted to let you know that we still have a while before we land. Because we have our own jet, we won't be making any stops so that will speed up the process. But even so, the distance between Siberia and Montana is a big one. I suggest you get some rest. You have a long day tomorrow."

She started to stand to her feet, but I still had a question that I needed to ask her. "What exactly do my new duties consist of?"

She put on a knowing smile and settled back into her seat, like she expected me to ask her sooner or later. "Well, Vasilisa and Rose will be your main focus since you will be put in charge of the team to find them, but finding them may not be as quick and easy as we hope. So while you are at the Academy you will be utilized for the same purposes that most of our guardian staff are. Things like watching classrooms, walking the grounds, running errands, and like we said before, considering your field experience and fighting skills, we will probably have you help instruct some classes."

My face didn't show it – I had become very good at displaying the emotionless expression that many guardians excelled at – but internally I was writhing. _Watching classrooms? Running errands?_ My new job was becoming less and less appealing. Admittedly, being in the field wasn't always exciting. Strigoi attacks weren't a daily, weekly, or even monthly occurrence. Years could go by with no action, but there was always something important to do. Whether it be scoping out an area, searching a building or room, strategizing, or actually fighting the evil, soulless creatures of the night. After graduating, I had never expected to be an errand boy.

Thankfully Alberta didn't seem to notice my disappointment. She stood up again, apparently taking my silence as satisfaction with her answer.

"Everything will be explained in greater detail when we actually get to the Academy." She started to leave but then turned back and added, "Welcome to the team, Belikov."

* * *

 **AN: As per usual, what did you think? Please comment and/or review! \It will be very appreciated.**

 **This chapter was actually supposed to be a lot shorter, but I decided to combine chapters 2 and 3 in order to make it a semi reasonable length. Sadly it's still fairly short and low on action, but since it is a shorter story it will not take long for the action to pick up. Also, the next chapter will be Dimitri arriving at the academy so we will be seeing some familiar faces pop up in the next two chapters. Yay!**

 **Thank you so stinken much for taking the time to read! Have a terrific day!**


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